Douluo: Opening with a Furious Clash Against the Grandmaster

Although the two of them were at odds verbally and argued so fiercely, neither of them got angry. That was rather thought-provoking.

It seemed the two of them had a history.

Ten minutes later.

The dispute finally came to an end. The village chief looked at Lu Yu and Lu Fei and asked, "Xiao Yu, are you staying here to play with the other children, or are you coming with me to deliver farming tools?"

Lu Yu glanced at those little brats, then shook his head. "Village Chief Grandpa, I'd better go deliver the farming tools with you."

He could not even get along with the children from his own village, much less these strangers from another village.

Even Lu Fei shook his head.

Though he loved to play, he was still somewhat afraid of strangers, even if they were only children his own age.

"Fine, let's go." The village chief seemed to have expected it.

The three of them set off again in the ox cart.

What surprised Lu Yu was that Old Jack actually came along as well.

Before long, the four of them arrived outside three mud-brick houses at the western edge of the village.

Looking at the signboard hanging from the middle roof, painted with an iron hammer, Lu Yu thought to himself that it really was almost exactly as described in the book.

"Tang Hao, busy?"

Following Old Jack into the blacksmith shop, Lu Yu immediately spotted Tang Hao, who looked like a beggar and was currently hammering iron.

"Mm." Tang Hao did not even raise his head, merely responding indifferently.

At the same time, a child about the same age as Lu Yu emerged from another room.

Lu Yu shifted his gaze.

This should be Tang San, right?

Judging by his height, they were about the same age. It seemed fate had decreed it.

The moment Tang San came out, his gaze also landed on Lu Yu. For some reason, this cute-looking child gave him a faint sense of danger.

That feeling deeply startled Tang San.

How was that possible?

How could such a feeling come from a child around his own age?

Tang San sensed danger from Lu Yu, and Lu Yu sensed danger from him as well. It was quite strong, too.

To hone his swordsmanship, Lu Yu had once fought wild beasts in the mountains. The sense of danger Tang San gave him was no weaker than that of a mountain tiger.

"Little San, come here. Let Grandpa take a good look at you." Old Jack waved at Tang San.

"Hello, Grandpa Jack." Though he was still unsettled, Tang San obediently walked over to Old Jack.

His eyes, however, remained fixed on Lu Yu.

Tang Hao glanced up at the village chief. "Just put the farming tools anywhere. When I have time, I'll help you repair them."

"Fine." The village chief was clearly used to Tang Hao's attitude, so he said nothing more and directly led Lu Yu and Lu Fei to unload the farming tools.

Inside the house, Old Jack was talking to Tang Hao about Tang San awakening his martial soul.

Having learned Tang San's age, Lu Yu had essentially achieved the purpose of this trip. After putting away the farming tools, the village chief took the two of them around Holy Soul Village before driving the ox cart back to Soulless Village.

By the time they returned to Soulless Village, it was nearly lunchtime. After eating, Lu Yu immediately plunged into the Back Mountain.

The Back Mountain was not only Lu Yu's hunting ground; its trees, cliffs, and sheer rock walls were also natural facilities for honing his movement technique.

Though it was dangerous, it was enough as long as it improved his strength.

As for danger, it did not matter.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, what was not dangerous?

Even if he obediently became a farmer, disaster might still strike from nowhere. Since he wanted to enter the world of Soul Masters, he could not be too cowardly.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Early in the morning, Lu Yu got up and habitually summoned his attribute panel. The proficiency behind Basic Movement Technique had now become mastery.

In truth, he had not been far from this step before. Over the past three days, he had faced death head-on without caring in the slightest about his own safety. Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard.

He had finally made it in time.

Putting away the attribute panel, he began to wash up.

"Brother Yu, Brother Yu, hurry up! The Lord Soul Master who's going to awaken our martial souls is here!" Lu Fei shouted, then burst through the door in a fluster.

"So early?" Lu Yu was somewhat surprised.

Brother Tao was this dedicated to his job?

"Grandpa." As soon as Lu Yu stepped out of the courtyard, he discovered that the village chief had come too.

The village chief nodded. "Let's go. Today is the day your martial souls awaken. I hope you can break the village's curse of having no Soul Masters."

Though the village chief said that, Lu Yu did not see much expectation on his face. Clearly, he was not holding out much hope.

After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

After so many years, he had probably grown used to it.

Lu Yu said nothing more and quietly followed behind the village chief.

Lu Fei was different.

He bounced around excitedly the whole way.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the Spirit Hall in the center of the village. It was no different from the one in Holy Soul Village—a mere wooden hut.

Soulless Village was small. There were only two children besides Lu Yu and Lu Fei who were the same age, making just four children in total who needed to awaken their martial souls.

The other two were boys as well.

When they arrived at the Spirit Hall, aside from the other two boys and their parents, there was also a handsome young man with sword-like brows and bright eyes.

He should be Su Yuntao.

"Greetings, esteemed Battle Soul Master. We must trouble you again this time." The village chief respectfully bowed to Su Yuntao.

Su Yuntao slightly inclined his head in return, looking somewhat proud. He swept a glance over Lu Yu and the other three before saying, "My time is limited. Let's begin at once."

The village chief did not waste words on Lu Yu and the others. Clearly, he was not placing much hope on the four of them either, which pleased Su Yuntao greatly.

If every village were this straightforward, it would save him quite a bit of time.

The Spring of Soulless Village

"Children, line up."

After the village chief and the two parents exited the Spirit Hall, Su Yuntao instantly turned into a gentle big brother next door, his attitude exceptionally soft.

Children were the future of the Soul Master world.

Whether these children possessed Innate Soul Power or not, his attitude could not be too poor. After all, one could never rule out the unexpected.

What if a genius appeared, but because his attitude had been too awful, that person ended up disliking—or even hating—Spirit Hall?

Then he would be in trouble.

Lu Yu and the others obediently lined up. Lu Yu stood at the back, while Lu Fei, who loved being the center of attention, ran straight to the front.

Su Yuntao said, "My name is Su Yuntao. I am a twenty-sixth-rank Soul Grandmaster and your guide. I will now awaken your martial souls one by one. No matter what happens, do not be afraid."

As he spoke, Su Yuntao took six awakening stones used to awaken martial souls and a crystal ball used to test Soul Power from his bag.

After arranging the awakening stones, Su Yuntao said to Lu Fei, "Come. Stand in the middle."

Lu Fei stepped into the formation excitedly.

"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes and feel carefully."

As he spoke, Su Yuntao's eyes suddenly lit up. Under the horrified gazes of Lu Fei and the other two, he shouted in a low voice, "Lone Wolf, Possession!"

A faint blue light first burst forth from the center of his brow, traveling upward along his forehead and shooting toward the crown of his head.

Empowered by the blue light, Su Yuntao's originally black hair quickly turned gray and rapidly lengthened.

At the same time, his body swelled considerably.

Before long, he had turned into a wolfman.

Once the transformation was complete, one white and one yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet, rhythmically moving back and forth between his feet and head.

Lu Yu's gaze fell on Lu Fei.

Though that guy had not screamed in fright, the fat on his body that would not stop trembling had already betrayed his emotions.

The other two little brats were no better. The one directly in front of Lu Yu was even worse off, collapsing onto the ground with a plop as a pungent smell spread from his body.

He had actually wet himself from fright.

Lu Yu was speechless and quietly took a step back.

Still, they could not really be blamed.

They were only six-year-old children. Expecting them to be especially brave was unrealistic.

"Don't move. I told you not to be afraid. This is my martial soul, Lone Wolf. If any of you become Soul Masters in the future, you'll be able to use similar abilities too."

Su Yuntao looked helplessly at Lu Fei, who was trembling nonstop and seemed ready to run at any moment.

It was always like this.

"Phew..."

After hearing that, Lu Fei took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.

Su Yuntao swiftly struck out with both hands, sending six faint green lights into the six awakening stones below. Immediately afterward, a hazy golden radiance burst from them, forming a dome of light around Lu Fei.

As the golden light entered Lu Fei's body, his body, which had just calmed down, began trembling again.

Staring at Lu Fei with his eerie green eyes, Su Yuntao commanded majestically, "Stretch out your right hand."

Lu Fei subconsciously extended his right hand. Then all the light surged out, and in an instant, a piping-hot steamed bun appeared.

That was right, a steamed bun.

Seeing this, Lu Yu's eyes narrowed.

A steamed bun.

A food-type martial soul...

He wondered whether Lu Fei had Innate Soul Power.

Looking at the steamed bun in his hand, Lu Fei was slightly disappointed.

Why did it have to be a steamed bun?

Look at how imposing other people's martial souls were. Why had his become such an ordinary steamed bun?

Su Yuntao frowned as well and muttered, "A steamed bun, a food-type martial soul? I wonder whether he has Innate Soul Power."

At that thought, a trace of anticipation actually rose in Su Yuntao's heart.

"Come, child. Your martial soul is a steamed bun. Let me see whether you have Soul Power. If you do, you can become an auxiliary Soul Master."

Afterward, under Su Yuntao's guidance, Lu Fei finally began his Soul Power test. A hint of anticipation appeared in Lu Yu's eyes as well.

Lu Yu and Su Yuntao's eyes lit up together as the Soul Power testing crystal began to glow.

He had Soul Power!

When the crystal's light settled at the fifth-rank mark, Su Yuntao said excitedly, "Good, good, good... Child, are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"

"Huh?"

Having yet to understand what was happening, Lu Fei panicked for a moment and hurriedly sent Lu Yu a pleading look.

Lu Yu said calmly, "Esteemed Battle Soul Master, there's no need to rush over joining Spirit Hall. Let's finish the testing first."

Since Lu Fei had Innate Soul Power and was also at the fifth rank like him, Lu Yu naturally could not ignore him.

Let's awaken my martial soul first and see what the system says.